OHSU StudentSpeak » Katy Van Hookhttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak
Who better than the students to describe what being a student at OHSU is all about?Wed, 14 Feb 2018 18:26:28 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.19A final farewell from Dr. Van Hookhttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2013/08/22/a-final-farewell-from-dr-van-hook/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2013/08/22/a-final-farewell-from-dr-van-hook/#commentsThu, 22 Aug 2013 21:30:02 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=5362Read More]]>Well hello to you, all of my long lost friends! It has been ages (years even) since I wrote to you about my graduate school happenings and I feel I owe you an update and a bit of an explanation for my absence.

First and foremost, I’M DONE! I did it, I pulled the sword from the stone, slayed the dragon, and kissed the fat lady on the cheek as she was singing my swan song. I am officially Dr. Van Hook forever!

I first want to address the reason for my radio silence all these long (and I’m assuming painful for you) months. I stopped writing in part to give the newer students a chance to share their stories, but also in part because during my final push toward graduation I was a whirling dervish of emotions…most of them unsavory to say the least. It felt for a while that every time I sat to write a blog post, I had nothing productive to tell you. Experiments weren’t progressing, my dissertation wasn’t shaping up into a glorious book chapter or Cell paper and I felt less like a runner elated to cross the finish line and more like dead weight being dragged toward completion. In a nutshell, I was broken down and embarrassed. We all want to hit a grand slam and make it look easy in the end, right?

It took me a lot of time to put down my pre-conceived notions about what my data should actually look like and really sit down and focus on the bigger picture; what had I actually learned? I was told once that getting your Ph.D. is less about the actual discoveries that you make and more about changing the way that you think – that this process turns you into a scholar. It’s a transition I liken to an actual change in my brain chemistry that has altered the way that I think about everything I encounter in life, from politics and religion to where I want to live and how I choose my friendships.

There is no doubt that I have become a scholar, and the transition was never more tangible than when I was writing my dissertation. I organized, analyzed, and synthesized a gigantic document of some of the most abstruse and esoteric information in the world. I did it. And it’s awesome. Seriously, I love my dissertation. Not because I cured cancer (I assure you I did nothing of the sort) but because it is 100 percent me. It is my work, my discoveries, and my blood, sweat, and tears (emphasis on the tears) and I could not be more proud. I am forever a scholar.

In moving forward I feel relief, calm, doubt, happiness, and even a bit of loss. Finishing grad school is the hardest thing I have ever done and if I take nothing else away from it I at least know that I am strong.

To all the incoming students: You are going to hear a lot of stories, I mean A LOT. Take them with a grain of salt. Everyone’s experience is vastly different. Make mistakes and learn from them. You’re going to be fine.

Current students: Please remember to be kind to yourself. We sometimes live in a dark place, but our work does not define us. As always, lean on your fellow students for help.

Faculty, staff, friends and parents: Remember to take time to teach AND praise. We’re working hard, it’s important to remind us you appreciate it. A few simple words can be incredibly impactful on the mental health of a student.

Thank you all for listening and enjoying the blog over the years!

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2013/08/22/a-final-farewell-from-dr-van-hook/feed/3Insanity, table for onehttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/09/14/insanity-table-for-one/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/09/14/insanity-table-for-one/#commentsWed, 14 Sep 2011 22:28:15 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=1499Read More]]>So it’s that time of year again where amid the smoky remnants of summer BBQs and the promise of crisp fall air I can just barely detect what can only be recognized as the smell of burning second year grad student brains. It’s qual season. A handful of posts back I promised to elaborate on this terrifying right of passage and I intend to make good. But first a quick refresher for the non-students among us.

Graduate school is full of all kinds of hurdles but none of them is more daunting to the fresh-faced first/second year student than the qualifying exam (sometimes called prelims). At the end of your second year you are finishing up your course work and preparing to begin melding with your lab bench full time, but before you are granted the prestigious title of…drum roll please…’PhD Candidate’ you must pass your qualifying exam.

The qual is different at every institution but it almost always includes a written portion along with an oral defense in front of a panel of faculty. Here at OHSU students are asked to write a 10-page NRSA-style grant on a burning science question that keeps them up at night. For most departments the topic can be centered on your actual thesis project; a change in recent years that has divided faculty.

I have the luxury of being a few years removed from my qual so I can laugh about the absurdities of it now, however as anyone who knew me then can attest…I was a crazy person. And not a funny crazy person, but a sobbing, snapping, call in Nurse Ratchet kind of crazy person (my blanket apologies to all). I have never—and I mean NEVER—been so nervous in my entire life as I was the morning of my exam. Walking into that room was akin to sticking my head in a hornet’s nest and I probably would’ve preferred the hornets. The first 15 minutes of questioning I felt like my mind was made of toothpaste. I could not remember the word ‘cytosine,’ which is analogous to forgetting the letter ‘B’ when reciting the alphabet and I found myself answering different questions than were asked. Eventually, though you fall into a rhythm and your years of training kick in. Hopefully you have at least a few members of your committee who will be the smile-and-nod kind of encouragers to balance out those that are out for blood and before you know it you are finished and left to recalibrate your brain back to baseline.

As always, leaning on fellow students during this time for editing, practice talks, and moral support is key. Talking about the qual sometimes tends to wake my inner mama bear, however I assure you that I survived, I learned, and that the vast majority of students sail through unscathed. So cheers to the second years who are in the midst of or just past their quals! Enjoy the third year bubble!

Have any qual stories? Let’s hear them!

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/09/14/insanity-table-for-one/feed/4Forget baseball, there is DEFINITELY crying in sciencehttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/08/10/forget-baseball-there-is-definitely-crying-in-science/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/08/10/forget-baseball-there-is-definitely-crying-in-science/#commentsWed, 10 Aug 2011 20:37:45 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=1302Read More]]>Today’s blog post comes straight from the request line. At the behest of my adoring public we are going to delve into the subject of–wait for it–crying in science. A strange topic perhaps but let my motives be clear. There is something very cathartic about knowing that you are not the only graduate student who has simply lost it on some poor unsuspecting peer (or in my case several faculty members). And if nothing else you can laugh mercilessly at me as I sacrifice my pride for the greater good. For those of you without a flare for the dramatic 1) I have nothing in common with you and 2) keep reading anyway.

Now in an effort for full disclosure it is not difficult to make me cry. It’s my default reaction. Sad-cry, happy-cry, frustrated-cry, can’t stand one more failed luciferase assay-cry. That being said I have been working fairly tirelessly to try and curb the reaction in the professional setting. However, as my fellow graduate students know, the stress of this job can crack even the most hardened individuals and it often sneaks up on you. One of my favorite stories involves me losing my mind in my boss’s office one afternoon. My mom had called me to tell me (in the middle of the day no doubt) that a family pet had passed away and I was, I feel, appropriately sad. The weird thing is that instead of going to the bathroom to cry and compose myself before finishing the experiment I was doing like a normal person I instead went to my boss’s office and mumbled incoherently about science and pets while sobbing like a child…awesome. Now lucky for me my boss is just about the nicest person you could ever meet, but I think that was his baptism into the church of Katy crazy. I’ve assuaged my embarrassment by telling myself that I was just preparing him for having a teenage daughter…he’ll thank me later.

There have, of course, been other occasions where I’ve cried in front of my boss, the director of my graduate program (sorry Allison!), the afore lauded Jeanne Sutter, countless friends, several thesis committee members, and a couple qualifying exam committee members if I’m not mistaken. In an effort to be brief (HA!) however we can save those stories for some wine-soaked happy hour down the road.

The thing is that graduate school is crazy difficult and probably not in the way you initially expected. Sure classes and exams are hard, the quals are maddening, and bench work is draining and often disappointing, but I’ve come to realize a totally different kind of stress in graduate school that I was completely unprepared for. We’ve been conditioned to handle acute stressful situations throughout high school and college—a tough exam, a huge paper, the GRE/MCAT—but in grad school the stress doesn’t peak and decline nearly as much. It’s more of a low level of constant stress that tends to eat your brain in a whole different way. Eventually there are no grades to reassure you that you’re on track and expecting atta boys from faculty is beyond mad. The message I really want to impart to you (particularly the newbie’s) is that everyone—I mean it, EVERYONE—thinks about quitting, grows to hate science for at least a little bit, and loses their mind in one way or another. It’s normal, sadistic but normal. Hang in there and lean on other students for advice, they are your lifeline to reality. Oh and lastly, leave your boss alone and come find me if you need to cry. I’ve got dues to pay.

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/08/10/forget-baseball-there-is-definitely-crying-in-science/feed/10Homagehttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/07/11/homage/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/07/11/homage/#commentsMon, 11 Jul 2011 21:17:33 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=1102Read More]]>So summer has officially arrived in the Pacific northwest and I always laugh as the re-emergence of the sun brings out the vampire tendencies in hard core Oregonians as they shield their eyes and run in doors. Personally, I welcome the sun but with the sunshine comes a bit of bad news this year. This week marks the last week for the incomparable Jeanne Sutter, our School of Medicine administrator extraordinaire as she moves back to the east coast to pursue a Master of Arts in Food Studies in Pittsburgh. Her departure is a mixed bag for me because while I’m unendingly excited for this new chapter of her life I am also very sad, both for our collective loss in the School of Medicine and for my personal loss of a friend and ally here on campus.

Jeanne has worn many hats during her tenure at OHSU and she made an indelible mark on me my first year of graduate school as our program coordinator. I first met her during my interview week where she wrangled all of us frazzled prospective students with ease, scheduled faculty interviews, coordinated transportation, and tried (rather unsuccessfully I might add) to get me to an interview in Shriner’s without getting drenched by the rain. While this was a small encounter it was memorable, because when I officially joined the ranks at OHSU Jeanne was not only the first face I met but she fielded my barrage of first year questions with patience and in retrospect was my first friend on campus as well. She was very much our den mother first year and continually goes above and beyond for her co-workers and graduate students. She’s answered every question I’ve posed her, waved late registration fees for me, alerted me to free food, and counseled me (and I’m sure others) through several ugly-cry breakdowns about the trials of graduate school.

Now there is most likely a faction of you out there wondering why you should care about my rambling reminiscences, but my divergence comes with a purpose. For my fellow current graduate students and co-workers this is a formal request that you send Jeanne an e-mail, comment on this post, or go visit her to let her know she’s impacted you in some positive way. For incoming/prospective students and those looking to get a feeling about graduate studies at OHSU my respect for Jeanne and the caliber of her work is a perfect example of the supportive network of folks that exists here on campus. I was as panicked as a person can be about moving to a new city and starting a competitive graduate program but I was quickly put at ease by the community of people here, including but not limited to Jeanne, who bent over backwards to make my transition easier. I’m not sure every top ranking graduate institution can say that. Congratulations and good luck to my good friend Jeanne, you will be missed!

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/07/11/homage/feed/4Commencement and sour grapeshttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/06/08/commencement-and-sour-grapes/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/06/08/commencement-and-sour-grapes/#commentsWed, 08 Jun 2011 20:49:25 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=753Read More]]>I attended commencement on Monday because two of my good friends graduated from medical school and it was a much more informative affair than I expected. More than anything it was a rather motivating event that reminded me how badly I want to walk across that stage next year. As a veteran member of the drone army of graduate students I long ago forgot about the possibility of a graduation date but watching this year’s refugees was enough to snap me back to reality. With some serious hard work, coffee, and a tad bit of luck from the science gods I WILL make it happen.

I was also reminded of how theatrical medical school has always seemed to me. Solemn oaths, dramatic costume changes from a short coat to a long one and their accompanying ceremonies, framed class photos, yearbooks, talent shows—I half expected a laser light show to lead in the hooding ceremony. Now don’t get me wrong, I am a major sucker for pomp and circumstance (both figuratively and literally) but when you juxtapose the medical students with the graduate students–who barely even know one another and tend to be under represented because we graduate all year long–we tend to come off looking a bit like unwashed cousins who’ve come to crash the party. Now please don’t misunderstand, my ire is not so much directed at the medical students because you’d better believe I’d be soaking that stuff up if I were in their shoes, but rather at my own graduate division comrades. Now I know for a fact that as a group we are a fantastically fun people so I say next year we go big. I’m thinking flash mob. Also, we need a class photo to hang in these prestigious halls for eternity so generations down the road can laugh at our hairstyles. Finally, we are in desperate need of an oath. I’m thinking about penning something for next year about promising to abide by the laws set out by the all-mighty NIH, promising to always remember the difference between the Biohazard manual and Lab Safety manual, vowing to never believe data without the proper controls, etc…I’ve got a year, I’ll work on it. Now start practicing your dance moves!

All kidding aside, congratulations to the class of 2011! I am privileged and proud to call a good chunk of you friends and I know how hard you worked for your degrees!

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/06/08/commencement-and-sour-grapes/feed/4Sunshine, OJ, and 18,000 of my closest friendshttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/05/09/sunshine-oj-and-18000-of-my-closest-friends/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/05/09/sunshine-oj-and-18000-of-my-closest-friends/#commentsMon, 09 May 2011 16:42:27 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=608Read More]]>No discussion about graduate school is complete without talking about the glorious bench work oasis that is attending a conference. Yep, you heard me right–approximately once a year they let us geeks out of the lab and set us loose on some poor unsuspecting city. This year I attended the American Association of Cancer Research national meeting in Orlando, Florida. Now before you get jealous of my reprieve from the endless rain of the Pacific Northwest I want you to imagine the sunshine mixed with 18,000 cancer biologists and a healthy dose of the retirement set—far from wild and crazy.

Now if I had my druthers I would’ve picked a smaller meeting where there aren’t so many shiny things to distract me (Speakers, posters, and forums, oh my!) but my boss has a proclivity for this meeting so obey I must. This year was extra special because it was my first time presenting my own data as a poster at a national meeting. Nothing makes me feel more superior than wielding a cardboard tube that symbolizes my scientific achievements through airport security. (It’s the little things in life right?) The poster session itself was rather anti-climactic. Just four hours of me trying to literally blind people with science and very few people stopping to look. No worries, the sheer awesome-ness of my poster was probably too much for the average conference-goer anyway.

All joking aside I really do relish attending these meetings. For people like me who learn by hearing and seeing (which is a major handicap in a field dominated by reading) getting to attend seminars given by some of the world’s top scientists is a major highlight. Its not everyday that I get to hear a Nobel Laureate speak…I’m putting that in the win column. Not only that, conferences give me exposure to research topics outside of what’s happening at OHSU, allow me networking opportunities, and as I mentioned before, it gets me away from the bench for a bit. Plus as a bonus, there really is no better entertainment than observing what scientists interpret ‘business attire’ to mean. I swear I saw sequins, white jeans, frosted hair, a push-broom moustache that would make a hipster jealous, and a banana clip…priceless.

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/05/09/sunshine-oj-and-18000-of-my-closest-friends/feed/0Eat your heart out Julie Andrewshttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/04/10/eat-your-heart-out-julie-andrews/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/04/10/eat-your-heart-out-julie-andrews/#commentsMon, 11 Apr 2011 05:52:35 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=595Read More]]>Confidence can go a long way in any field and science is no exception. I got a helpful reminder of this notion last week at my TAC meeting (thesis advisory committee meeting for those of you not hip to graduate student acronyms). If you recall from my post about why getting your PhD takes so long, a student’s TAC is made up of 4-5 faculty members—of the student’s choosing—who will ultimately decide when they defend/graduate. My committee is great and I feel fortunate that I don’t dread the onslaught of criticism that sometimes typifies these meetings, but I also took care when choosing my committee not to select anyone who I know would relish in making me cry. Self-preservation is nothing to be ashamed of…to each his own right?

At any rate, I got some helpful advice from my committee about how to present my data more effectively. I have a really hard time finding a balance between the “here are the 10 controls that would make this more believable” level of confidence and the “this is the science gospel and you will worship it” level. I have a tendency to lean towards minimizing my data and it doesn’t do me any favors. In my defense it is a mighty intimidating feat to stand up in front of 5 crazy smart brains with years of experience on you and lay out your hard earned results. If I know where the holes in my experiments are you can certainly bet they do and I don’t want them to think I haven’t thought about the caveats. That being said, however, it is incredibly important to speak with conviction and focus on the forward progress that’s been made even if it’s not perfect. In addition to the science they are looking to see whether I’m progressing as a professional who will eventually have to stand on my own. I am going to have to convince a potential employer and later potential employees that I’ve got the goods and being able to market myself and my accomplishments is a must. So I will do my best to bend to the wishes of the TAC gods and wow them the next time around.

Just as a side note, I’m sure my friends and family are rolling their eyes at the prospect of me gaining more confidence. They’ve been listening to me champion myself (particularly my incredible domino-playing skills) for decades now. Jealousy is not pretty

Anybody get the Julie Andrews reference? Anybody? Beuller?

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/04/10/eat-your-heart-out-julie-andrews/feed/1What’s spring break?http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/03/22/whats-spring-break/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/03/22/whats-spring-break/#commentsTue, 22 Mar 2011 22:47:55 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=536Read More]]>Ok kids, this post has got to be short and sweet because I am seriously deluged by work at the moment. Spring is notorious for being busy and this year is no exception. I’m prepping for lab meeting next week, working on my poster for the conference I’m presenting at in 2 weeks, and trying not to panic about the TAC (thesis advisory committee) meeting I scheduled for myself the week I get back from the conference. It just so happens that as I start putting everything together I immediately think of about 100 experiments I want to do so that the story will be more complete. These ‘minor’ experiments will take more time then I have but I am inevitably going to try my level best to cram as much in as possible. Its crunch time and I’m ready and willing to join the ranks of students sleeping in lab (not literally…the only sleeping spot near my lab is a window bench I have dubbed the ‘DNA bench’ because I am confident that it has soaked up genetic material from everyone who’s ever sat on it–no thank you).

Here’s a question for you fellow and recovering grad students—do those last minute experiments EVER work for you? Mine absolutely never do but I still torture myself for a couple weeks in the hopes that someday I will be able to beam proudly while saying, ‘Here’s some exciting new data that even my boss hasn’t seen…’ or something similar and bathe in the adulation. So far it remains an elusive goal but I am physically incapable of not trying. That’s all I’ve got for now, gotta get back to the grind. Wish me luck!

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/03/22/whats-spring-break/feed/1Does size matter?http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/03/10/does-size-matter/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/03/10/does-size-matter/#commentsThu, 10 Mar 2011 19:55:03 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=518Read More]]>As I’m sure most of you are aware the life of a grad student doesn’t involve a lot of car chases or celebrity scandal so my ideas on what to write about tend to be scarce. Inspiration struck this week while I was having lunch with an invited seminar speaker (who unfortunately has not had tragic plastic surgery or checked into rehab recently) and the conversation rolled around to lab dynamics and the pros and cons of big vs. small labs. So I’ve decided to take this opportunity to give my two cents and encourage you all to leave your thoughts as well so that nubile young scientists can look back at this post and use our collective knowledge to make a good choice for them. Think of it like a science Voltron!

I work in a small lab and when I say small I mean it consists of me, one other person, and a tech that comes in a few days a week. While I wouldn’t be opposed to a few more pairs of hands, I by far prefer the small lab environment. Competition for projects is low and this was particularly advantageous second year when I was working on a solidly formed project while a few of my classmates were still trying to find their niche. Also, competition for my mentor’s time is greatly reduced. Anyone who’s ever tried to schedule a thesis committee meeting knows that PIs are beyond busy so this is a major bonus in my book.

It is, however, undisputable that fewer co-workers means fewer brains to mine for information. I don’t really see this as a problem however. OHSU has set up the perfect environment for people to collaborate and ask questions of one another so whenever I need direction on a new experiment I just walk to another lab on campus and start throwing out ideas. I will admit that there are times when I am pulled away from bench work to do things that a lab manager would do in a larger lab (i.e. IACUC renewals, ordering, animal export, etc…) but in reality these duties are part of a working lab and it may even give me a leg up if/when I decide to start my own lab someday.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I am exceedingly jealous of the big labs with lots of money and crazy equipment but in the end I really think I’ve made a good choice for me. I’m sure you’ve all got opinions so let’s hear it!

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/03/10/does-size-matter/feed/1…Ahhh to be younghttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/02/26/ahhh-to-be-young/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/02/26/ahhh-to-be-young/#commentsSat, 26 Feb 2011 18:58:08 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=505Read More]]>This past week I spoke to a group of high school students for their career day about being a scientist and about what grad school entails. As I prepared my slides I all but high fived myself for how hilarious and cool these kids were going to think I was. I relished the fact that I was going to shatter the illusion that scientists are lab coat-wearing glasses-pushers while simultaneously inspiring a new generation of researchers. About 10 minutes into my presentation several things occurred to me concurrently—

1. The majority of teenagers are angst-filled jerks (myself included at that age),

2. I am officially old (as measured by the number of times I wanted to shake my finger at talking students), and

3. I could light myself on fire and they would not care about anything I’m saying.

Despite this humbling fall from grace it got me thinking about what I would’ve taken away from a presentation about being a scientist at 15 years old and whether it would’ve altered my twisty road to graduate school.

I locked on to science early on in high school and I was immediately placed into the good-at-science-go-to-med-school group. Admittedly I drank the Kool-aid and set a course for a life as a physician. It wasn’t until late in college when I was doing research in an effort to pad my med school resume while trying to write an essay about why I wanted to be a doctor that I realized how badly I didn’t want to be a medical doctor. I remember being upset that we hadn’t really been exposed to graduate school (or pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, etc…) as viable alternatives. All my professors had gone to graduate school yet they were all herding us through our pre-med prerequisites. Were they all traumatized? Are they simply too tired? I’m still at a loss to explain it.

In any case my own story flashed through my head while I was practically tap dancing to try and keep a room full of sullen teenagers awake. Then it dawned on me, if there was even one kiddo in that group that can use what I told them to make an informed decision later in life I will consider it an afternoon well spent. And although I cringe to think of it, somewhere in the sea of those awkward Team Edward-loving students are the scientists and doctors of tomorrow…take heart, college has a way of slapping some priorities into us. Have a great week!

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/02/26/ahhh-to-be-young/feed/3Reasons why a PhD is way better than any other professional degree—no bias of coursehttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/02/08/reasons-why-a-phd-is-way-better-than-any-other-professional-degree%e2%80%94no-bias-of-course/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/02/08/reasons-why-a-phd-is-way-better-than-any-other-professional-degree%e2%80%94no-bias-of-course/#commentsTue, 08 Feb 2011 23:19:13 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=455Read More]]>I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback over the past few weeks in response to my last post about why getting a PhD takes so long (and thank you so much for that) but in reviewing it I’ve decided that I need to swing the balance a bit more toward center with regards to the grad school good. So in response I’ve decided to write this week about the reasons why getting a PhD wins the professional degree wrestling smackdown.

First lets talk about the obvious—YOU GET PAID! I am sitting across from a 4th year medical student friend of mine right now and she informed me that when all is said and done she will have spent about $250,000 on her degree—wow doesn’t really seem to cover it. Compare that with the fact that I don’t even know what my tuition is and I’d say I’m getting a screaming deal on my education. There is of course the fact that her income will dwarf mine in the future and that my stipend doesn’t by any means have me hobnobbing with Oprah, but when all is said and done it is downright fantastic to get a paycheck for going to school.

You simply can’t beat the flexibility. Have a doctor’s appointment? Need to take your dog to the vet? Want to visit a friend in Botswana? During the latter half of grad school you’ve got the freedom to make your own schedule and work the time of day that suits you. This of course comes with the caveat that you can’t abuse your privileges, there will always be weeks you come early, stay late or work the weekends, and that–oh yeah–you want to graduate someday but I’d choose my schedule over a hectic 4th year dental student’s any day.

Two words: job security. It seems like a weird thing to think about but my “job” as a student is all but guaranteed once I’m accepted into the program. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule but even if my boss is eating ramen noodles by candlelight my status quo isn’t going to change. That’s been a pretty great thing to depend on over the past couple of years in this country.

I could also mention that there aren’t any laborious internships, fellowships, or residencies following my degree, no licensure hassles, I will be immediately employable, and I’ll be free of formal continuing education testing forever, but that would be bragging. I’d like to end by apologizing in advance for the massive in flux of grad school applications we will no doubt be getting as a result of my post and for the exodus from other degree programs on campus. Have a great week everyone!

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/02/08/reasons-why-a-phd-is-way-better-than-any-other-professional-degree%e2%80%94no-bias-of-course/feed/2Why does getting a PhD take so long?http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/01/23/why-does-getting-a-phd-take-so-long/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/01/23/why-does-getting-a-phd-take-so-long/#commentsMon, 24 Jan 2011 06:26:13 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=420Read More]]>One of my least favorite things about being a grad student is the frequency with which I am asked the following question, “So how much longer do you have until you’re done?” It is seemingly a very polite and innocuous question right? The problem is that as a grad student this is what I hear, “Why aren’t you done yet, lazy?” There is of course a healthy dose of my own special brand of anxiety in the translation but I think part of the problem stems from the lack of understanding among most folks about how the process of getting a PhD actually works. Here’s hoping I can clear that up a bit at least with regards to how my program works here at OHSU.

The first two years of most programs are front-loaded with classes. You hang on for dear life through a tsunami of information about cell minutia and applaud your accomplishment when you can finally make it through a lecture from Dr. Barklis with around 60% comprehension. It is at the end of the first year when you pick a lab–that’s right, most people don’t even BEGIN their research until after year one. Second year involves more classes (albeit at a less neck-breaking pace) and if you are lucky enough to have picked a lab with a crazy organized boss you may even begin doing thesis research. The process slows again when you are sucked out of lab for a few months at the end of second year to prepare and defend a qualifying exam which mostly involves doing your best impression of a professional scientist while simultaneously trying not to cry, puke, or both in front of a panel of straight-faced professors (more on that in a future post).

Once you pass the qualifying exam and required course work you have officially advanced to candidacy. Wait, so it’s been 2 years and I am just now a “candidate for PhD?”…sweet. Third year begins with picking a thesis advisory committee that is made up of 4 or 5 faculty (including your mentor) who will ultimately be the people that decide when you’re ready to defend. Students typically meet with their committee only one or two times a year for a progress report, extending the process even further. Don’t forget, amid all the requisite hoop jumping we are facing days, weekends, and even nights full of catastrophic experiment failure while trying to discover something, convince your peers to publish it, and hope that it in someway furthers the field. No pressure, its cool I can handle it. In the end it all boils down to 5 people and their mood on a particular day (bringing treats and coffee to committee meetings is highly recommended) to decide that you’re ready to write and defend your thesis. Upon reflection it’s a miracle anyone graduates at all. Grad school is most definitely a marathon, not a sprint, and we accept it willingly going in but now you are armed with the facts. So the next time you run into one of us, instead of asking about our research or vague endpoint you can instead ask if we would like a beer. Now congratulate yourself on your first successful interaction with a grad student.

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/01/23/why-does-getting-a-phd-take-so-long/feed/4Let’s do this 2011http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/01/10/let%e2%80%99s-do-this-2011/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/01/10/let%e2%80%99s-do-this-2011/#commentsMon, 10 Jan 2011 18:08:20 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=357Read More]]>Happy New Year folks, I hope the holidays were relaxing and recharging for everyone. I for one am having withdrawals after spending a week having my parents feed me mercilessly while binging on the wonders of cable TV—can you say ‘Hoarders’ marathon?! At any rate, I’m looking forward to 2011 as a year of progress in all realms of life. There are lots of exciting goings-on at work and I am simultaneously excited and stressed about the coming months. First and foremost I’m digging into writing my first paper. It is of course crazy exciting because it reaffirms my faith that the toiling pays off, but it is also uncharted territory which is always a bit scary. I’m finding that plainly laying out the data makes it obvious exactly which experiments are strong, which are weak, and where there are holes in the logic. It has focused me on the important questions that need to be asked so I get less distracted by extraneous experiments. On the coat tails of the paper is the impending possibility of speaking about my project at a national meeting (ack!) coupled with the ever important thesis committee meeting this spring—all in all a busy quarter for me.

Additionally, the first of my classmates defended his thesis this week and his defense brought with it a handful of emotions. I am beyond happy and proud for him because he is an incredible scientist who by all accounts comes by this profession naturally. However, his completion of the program that we all started together has me a little bit split. It forces me to ponder why it is that I’m still at least a year away from that moment and makes me wonder could I have worked harder, read more, thought more critically, etc… Which brings me to an important point—IT IS WORTHLESS TO COMPARE YOUR PROGRESS TO OTHERS. Everyone’s path through grad school is different and hard work is only a fraction of the journey. (I love how self-assured I sound while dishing out this Yoda advice like I don’t need to be reminded of it almost daily.) On the flip side it does spark a little bit of excitement that graduation is actually a possibility now. It used to be there was always at least one more class, journal club, or hurdle to defending but now the reality is that we simply have to get the research done. In a related thought, who knew the word ‘simply’ could sound so insulting

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2011/01/10/let%e2%80%99s-do-this-2011/feed/2My list of holiday DOs and DON’Tshttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2010/12/09/my-list-of-holiday-dos-and-don%e2%80%99ts/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2010/12/09/my-list-of-holiday-dos-and-don%e2%80%99ts/#commentsThu, 09 Dec 2010 19:19:22 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/?p=300Read More]]>It’s that time of year again when things keep getting added to my ‘to do/to buy’ list and my willingness ‘to do’ or ‘to buy’ is sorely lacking. If only they made advent calendars filled with money and motivation…now there’s a thesis idea. So in an effort to procrastinate further I’ve made a list of my recommended DOs and DON’Ts during the holiday season here at OHSU and in Portland:

DO attend as many departmental holiday parties as you can. Being able to scope out free food is a skill you learn quickly in grad school and the holiday season is a gold mine. Now those of you with more discerning tastes may want to stick to only those events to which you’ve been invited…I am not burdened by those standards and I will chat with a strange and boring post doc as long as it takes to get some free spanakopita and crudité.

DON’T feel super guilty about taking some time off for the holidays. I continually struggle with copious amounts of “grad school guilt” where I imagine everyone is in the lab on Christmas eve toiling away while I fatten myself up watching Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. That’s simply not true. To borrow an analogy I learned in college—you can’t chop down as many trees if you don’t stop to sharpen your axe once in a while. So go home if you can (bring your laptop and pretend to do work on the plane if it makes you feel productive) and relax!

DO go to Holiday Ale Fest. Every year there is a giant ale festival in Pioneer Square in downtown Portland with over 50 different beers to choose from. Aside from getting to drink beers with names like “Very Ill Tempered Gnome” and “Concentrated Evil” you are guaranteed to see a generous sampling of Portland culture and make at least one new friend (I’m talking to you Leonard!).

DON’T forget to thank your boss and the people you work with this time of year. Some might think it’s cheesy but my minions, as I call them, make my life so much easier and for bad or for worse my boss is the man with the plan (and the money!). I don’t go crazy but I do make cookies.

DO grab a paper and a cup of coffee and go listen to the piano player play Christmas music in the Doernbecher Starbucks—it just makes me happy.

I’m not sure a better analogy has ever been made. As you picture the mania and frustration that would accompany such a feline round-up I want you to add into it that at the end you have to stand up in front of a crowd and justify the feat.

As I presumably get closer to my nebulous endpoint I am getting a better appreciation for just how much I’ve learned over the years while chronically “failing” at science. I know it sounds like a I’m making excuses – and it is impossible to understand in the moment – but if all my experiments worked the first time I wouldn’t know nearly as much as I do about the actual science that goes in to each protocol.

I was reminded of this fact over the weekend while I was talking to a fellow grad student about the black magic art that is Western blotting. While we both shared that we still occasionally get blank films from the dreaded X-OMAT we agreed that at least now we have the ability to narrow the list of things that could’ve gone wrong down to 10 or so.

Again, some may claim that I’m simply justifying my short-comings while the productive grad students cheers to their successes in some champagne lounge of triumph somewhere, but I’m going to stick to my guns on this one. At any rate, I was reassured this week that I made the right choice in choosing to go to graduate school when I got arm-wavingly excited about my journal club paper about antitumor immunity…that takes a special kind of person…perhaps the same kind of person who really likes cats.

]]>http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2010/11/12/meow/feed/2The Best and the Worst from the First Year of Graduate Schoolhttp://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2010/10/09/hello-world/
http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2010/10/09/hello-world/#commentsSat, 09 Oct 2010 16:42:44 +0000http://www.ohsu.edu/blogs/studentspeak/2010/10/09/hello-world/Read More]]>In order to understand my favorite experience from first year you’ll need a little background about me. I had spent the two years preceding graduate school as far from academic science as you can get as I had been working in Nevada as a waitress. The time away from academia was a good choice for me because it solidified my dedication to continuing graduate education and research, but I was completely unprepared for how nervous I would be about the first test of the year after two years out of school. I studied incredibly hard for that test. When I received an A in return it not only helped my grade in the course but it also reassured me that I had made the right decision in coming to graduate school and that not only could I pass but that I could excel. It sounds cheesy but that first A gave me a wave of confidence and motivation that sustained me throughout my first year.

My worst experience was, hands down, having to choose my mentor. Choosing a mentor is undoubtedly one of the most important decisions you make as a graduate student and since I have a hard time deciding what to eat for dinner it felt like the most daunting decision in the world. Thinking back on it now I was fortunate to have several fantastic labs with great mentors to choose from, but in the moment it felt overwhelming, formal, and permanent. Luckily OHSU is an environment where I felt comfortable (and still do) bouncing my thoughts off faculty, staff, and other students and that support enabled me to choose the right mentor for me. It is a strange experience reflecting back to first year because my perspective has evolved so much in four years. However, in the light of my current challenges in lab, it is a nice reminder of how much I’ve accomplished in that time.